Cognitive Communications System for Ultra-Low Size, Weight and Power (SWAP) Attributable Platforms

Abstract

Communications resiliency and data distribution assurance has been compromised in highly competitive, dynamic, and stressing environments with the introduction of off the shelf, high performing jammers. This paper introduces a novel cognitive communications system that can be fielded on small attributable platforms; the architecture amalgamates a highly capable environmentally perceptive aperture, a software defined radio, and sophisticated networking techniques. The proposed cognitive communications system uses the 5G new radio waveform and applies groundbreaking machine learning methods to facilitate systems orchestration amongst its subsystems to transfer information effectively between nodes, and across large-scale multi-hop networks, essential for rapid strike missions. With the challenges imposed by mature and readily available jammers, a cognitive communications system can be used to maintain and sustain continuous communications to provide near real-Time surveillance and situational awareness updates. In addition to describing the comprehensive cognitive communications system architecture, a jamming analysis will be presented. Performance results for an operational use case will be compared to existing trite architectures consisting of siloed apertures and standard radio systems to demonstrate an improvement of approximately 10 dB in communications margin with the auspicious technology offering of the cognitive communications system for low size, weight, and power attributable platforms.